Assembling machine



Nov- 10, 1942. L. J. MOELLER ASSEMBLING MACHINE Filed Feb. 7, 1940 INVENTOR L.J. MOELLER A 7'TORNEV Patented Nov. 10, 1942 ASSEMBLING MACHINE Lowell J. Moeller, Towson, Md., assi'gno'r. to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New

York, N. Y., a corporation Of-New York- Application February 7, 1 940 S erial No. 317,664 1 3 Claims. (11. 81-54) 'lhislinvention relates to assembling machines, and more particularly to machines for assembling nuts and washers on bolts.

In the art of assembling machines, particular-- ly machines for assembling nuts and washers on bolts, one of the most difiicult problems to solve in order to assure efiicient results and avoid damage to the parts assembled, is the assurance of accurate centering and aligning of the washer, and particularly the nut with the bolt. If the parts are not accurately centered or properly aligned, the threads of the nut and/or the bolt may be damaged, thus preventing proper assembling of the parts, wealien their holding force one with the other, render the parts difi'lcult to disassemble, and also render the parts undesirable for repeated use.

An object of the invention is to provide assembling machines simple in construction and accurately dependable in centering and aligning parts such as nuts and Washers with bolts for the assembling thereof.

,With this and other objects in View, the invention comprises an assembling machine havirig'a'wrench recessed to receive a nut and wash- ,er with a centering element concentric with the'recess and having its outer end of a contour to interengage a bolt removably supported 1 by a movable holding element to center the bolt with the nut in the wrench when the holding element is moved into engagement therewith.

"Qther objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a side elevational View of one species of the'invention, portions thereof being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of the wrench; j Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional View taken along the line 3-3 oi'Fig. 2, and

. Fig.4 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating another species of the invention,

1 1 Referring now to the drawing, particularly Figs. 1, 2 and 3, it will be observed that a wrench iO is held against lateral movement but mounted "for vertical as well as rotary movement in a "bearing ll disposed in a laterally extending arm I2 of a supporting bracket I3, the latter being rigidly mounted upon a suitable table or support M. The upper portion of the wrench, as illustrated in Fig. 2, is provided with a longitudinally extending aperture l8 communicating at the upper end thereof with a recess l9 of a desired 55 contour, to receivea nut. andcommunicating 1 at; itsvlower end with, an angularly extending outlet 1 2i extending through the body of. the wrench. to :jpermit particles. to escape there- ,through. centering, element 23, disposed in the aperture |8,;ha s anouter. portion 24 provided with an end of a"suitable contour, which. in the present instance ,is conical as illustrated "at 25,

jl'or 'interengagement withfan end'offabolt .26,

as will hereinaiterbe described. Thein'ner end 27 0f the centering element is reduced in diameter t o .fit within the compression spring 28 disposed in the aperture beneath the centering element. The portion otthe centering element between the ends 24 and 21 has spaced longitudinal grooves 30 extending the full length of this; portion, providing passageways for dust or other particles which might enter the recess 19,

, .ihus completing passageways from the recess I9 20 through the grooves 30, the aperture [8, and through the outlet 2L; The side of the centering element opposite the grooves 30 is flattened,

asat 32, for the major portion of its length, cooperating with a pin positioned in an aperture in the wrench to permit longitudinal movemerit of the centering element but to eliminate possibility of. rotation thereof. The unfiattened portion of the centering element forms an abutting shoulder ior engagement with the pin 35 to limit the upward movement of the centering element,

, In. an'joutwardly,flared central portion of the wrench an. annular groove 35 is formed for interengagement with a yoke end 3'! of a lever 38.v

The lever 38 is pivotally supported, at 39, on a downwardly. projecting arm 40 of the bracket I3 and isnofri nally urged upwardly -or clockwise about its pivotv by a'spring 4i. With this mechanism'the wrench is returned to and normally held in its upper position.

The lower end of'the wrench is removably mounted in'a chuck43 of a clutch unit 44 In the present embodiment -the .clutch unit includes teeth Miof adri'ven member conditioned to int-erengage teeth4'l o'f a driving member 48 normally held'aga'inst interengagement by a spring 49. (The driving member "48 is rotatably supported in bearings 50.mounted'i-n a horizontally extendingportion of the arm 40 of the bracket l3, the lower end of the driving member' being operatively connected. toa rotating meanss'uch as motor 5i through pulleys 52 and 53 and a belt 54.

The bolt 26 in the present instance is shown loosely mounted in articles 56 which are to be joined together. Suitable means, such as a support 5'! in the form of a movable head having spaced spring clips 53 mounted thereon, may be provided to support the bolt and the articles, such as those indicated at St, which are to be joined thereby. The support 51 has an integral arm 69 merging into a sleeve portion 6|, the latter being disposed concentric with and adjustably secured to a vertical rod 62 by a set screw 83. The rod 62 'is slidably mounted in suitable bearings 6d and 85 in the bracket l3 and hasits lower end operatively connected to a foot lever 61 through the aid of a link 68, Theleverfilis pivoted, at 69, to a bracket '56, the latter being mounted upon any suitablestationary support 11 (not shown). A spring "H, having .its lower end connected to the foot lever 61 and is upper end connected to a lug integral with the arm til-of the bracket l3, normally urges the lever'upward ly or clockwise about its pivot.

In '.operation the bolt 261s :disposed withthe 'articleshfi between the clip's'58. The support 51 with the tclips153 is constructed so as to align the bolt with the centering element as nearly as is possible. The apertures in-the articles through which the bolt extends usually allow a clearance, whichimakes-itimpossible to definitely locate the bolt in direct alignment with the nut and/or'the .washenthe'latter beingindicated at'13 in Fig. 3,

without the. assistance of a centering means. The

centering means in this instance is the centering elementZB held against movement with respect to the wrench along-a fixed line and provided with an outer end of a contour conditioned to interengage-the bolt. The end of the bolt in the embodimentshown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 is,-'thereforeprovidedwith a conical recess 74 to receive the end 25- of the centering element when moved into engagement therewith. This interengagement of the bolt with the centering element will 'causethe-boltto-move laterally with respect to its support anydefinite distance necessary to accurately center and alignthe bolt with the nut mounted in the wrench.

The bolt isbroug'ht into engagement with the centeringelement by-the application of sufiicient pressure on the foot 1ever 61 to move the rod 62 downwardly against-the forceof the spring H until the approachingendof the bolt 26 engages the-centering-element, at which time the'vertex of the conical end 25 will hunt the centering point of the recess 14in the-bolt, centering and aligning the bolt with the'nut. Continued downward -mcvement of the foot lever will cause the bolt to move the centering element downwardly against the force of the spring 28, causing movement of the end of the bolt through the washer13 and in engagement withthe nut. Still further movement of the foot leverdownwardly will .cause downward movement of the wrench'relative to its bearing 5 l, moving'the leverj38 counterclockwise and causing interengagement of the teeth -46 and 4'! of theclutch' il'to operatively'con- 'nect the wrench with the rotating means, namely the motor 51, which drives the driving member -48constantly during the operation of the machine. The downward'movement of the wrench compresses spring! to form the interconnection of the teeth 46 and 41 of the clutch, which connectien'will be maintained until the nut has been driven on the bolt through the rotation of the Wrench and until the nut is made sufficiently tight on the bolt to cause the teeth 46 and 4'! of the clutch to slip under the pressure of the spring at. The operation has thus been completed and the various parts may be returned to their normal positions by releasing the foot lever 61.

It will, therefore, beapparent that a nut and washer may be disposed in the recess IQ of the wrench and that the wrench and the bolt may be moved relative to each other and during this movement means, such as the centering element with its outer end of a contour for interengagement with the bolt, will center and align the .bolt withthe washer and the nut so that the nut -may be driven-on the bolt through relative rotation of the wrench and the bolt without damage to either'the boltor the nut.

In Fig. 4 another species of the invention is shown which is identical to the species shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3-excepting the-interengaging contours of the centering'element-and the bolt. In this species the wrench is indicated at H0, having a recess in itsupper end to receive a-nut I IS. A locating element 12-3 in this embodiment is provided with a'conical recess I25 conditioned to receive a conical end-I'M of a bolt I25. It'is apparent that with this variation in the structure the same centering and alignment effect will result.

The embodiments of'the invention herein disclosed are merely illustrative and-may be widely modified and departed from in many ways without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention as pointed outin and limited solely by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An assembling machine comprising a wrench recessed to' receive a nut, a centering element with an outer end extending through the threaded portion of'thenut and of a contour to interengage a bolt and mounted in.thewrench for longitudinal movement "only inalignment with the center of the nut to assure centering of the-bolt with the nut, an'element to removably hold the bolt, means to cause relative movement of the wrench and the holding element to render the centering element effective to center the bolt and nut, and

means tocause rotation of the wrench to drive the:nut on the bolt.

2. In a wrench, anelement slidably mounted in.the wrench. and'having a portion conditioned to extend through a nut and interengage a bolt, means to guide the element for longitudinal movement only in alignment with the center of the nut to assure centering of'the boltwith the nut, and means to cause relative rotation of the bolt and nut tocause threaded interengagement thereof.

3. In an assembling machine, .a wrench, an element mountedlin the wrench and having a portion with a recess therein, adapted toextend through a nutan'dreceiveanend of .a .bolt in the recess, means' to guide the elementforlongitudinal .movement only in alignment -with.the

center o'f'the nutlto assure centering. of ,thebolt with thenut, andmeansto cause relative rotation/of the bolt and nut to cause threaded interengagement thereof.

LOWELL J .-MOELLER, 

